Squad news

THE CURSE OF THE STRIKERS

18 Feb 2010Deportivo has the 13th best scoring mark in la liga, a statistics that seems poor for a team that aspires for Europe. The main problem continues to be the lack of goals from the strikers at the squad.

Lotina’s Depor has only scored 24 goals after 22 matchdays in liga, that’s a low mark for a team that’s whishing to end in Europe; even penultimate place Real Valladolid has conquered more goals than the Galicians (25). What explains the current position of the Deportivo is that the team squeezes every goal in favour with a solid defence that has allowed exactly the same number of goals that has been scored: 24.

These problems with the goals aren’t new and actually it has been a characteristic of Deportivo since the years of the Champions League. In the past, at this same point of the season, Depor only had 27 goals in favour during the 2008/09 campaign, 23 one year before (2007/08) and even 18 on Joaquín Caparrós’ last year in La Coruña (2006/07).

Lately, the situation has become more noticeable since Depor has ended scoreless in five of the last eight matches in liga, actually Depor is currently dragging with a drought of 185 minutes without scoring a goal, the last one was scored by Riki against Real Madrid. Of course all the eyes are upon Deportivo’s strikers

And it’s that the strikers at the team have only scored eight goals on the season: Riki (3), Adrián (2), Lassad (2), Mista (1) and Bodipo (0), that’s the fourth lowest mark in la liga, only the strikers at Malaga FC (7),RCD Espanyol (6) and CD Xérez (6) have scored a lesser number.

Actually, the other five Primera teams currently occupying a European position have a ‘killer’ striker that has scored more goals than the whole Depor’s striking line combined. Barcelona FC has Lionel Messi, who is leading the list of Pichichis with sixteen goals in liga (the double of Depor’s attackers), Valencia has David Villa (15), Real Madrid has Gonzalo Higuaín (12), Sevilla has Luis Fabiano (9) and Mallorca has Aritz Aduriz (8) Even the other aspirants to Europe have a clear reference in attack: Getafe has Roberto Soldado (12) and Athletic Bilbao has Fernando Llorente (8).